FC Twente survive late scare to reach Conference League play-off
John van den Brom’s much-changed side surrendered a two-goal lead before Marko Pjaca secured a 3-3 draw at DAC 1904.
FC Twente advanced to the Conference League play-off round despite producing an unconvincing 3-3 draw away to DAC 1904. Their place was never seriously threatened after a 6-0 first-leg victory in Enschede, but a heavily rotated team allowed the Slovak side to recover from two goals down.
Max Bruns headed Twente in front before substitute Marko Pjaca doubled the advantage. The visitors’ performance deteriorated after half-time, however, with Abdoulaye Gueye pulling one back and Klemen Nemanič making it 2-2. DAC then moved 3-2 ahead late on, only for Pjaca to capitalise on a goalkeeping mistake deep into stoppage time and score his second of the night.
Coach John van den Brom used the comfortable aggregate position to give several players opportunities. Joël Drommel made his first Twente appearance since May 2021 following his recent return from PSV. Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink, previously used 17 times as a substitute, received his first start but struggled to influence the game. Ruud Nijstad also returned to the starting XI.
Twente will face Qarabag in the play-off after the Azerbaijani club defeated Dinamo Kyiv 2-0. It will be the clubs’ second European tie: Twente beat Qarabag 3-1 at home and drew 0-0 away during the 2009 Europa League play-offs. The latest qualification was comfortable on aggregate, although the collapse in Slovakia provided a warning before a tougher assignment.
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- Live: DAC 1904 - FC Twente in Conference League | De Telegraaf— Telegraaf Voetbal
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